Jocelyn Martinez

Mr. Newman
English 101: Rhetoric
13 November 2014
Salt and Pepper
Whether we intend on discriminating or not, we all engage in the act at some point. In
Toni Morrisons short story Recitatif, Twyla, one of the main characters, describes her time in
an orphanage with an old friend named Roberta and how experiences they went through together
effected their lives then and in the future. In this story Morrison makes it known that one girl is
black and the other is white So for the moment it didnt matter that we looked like salt and
pepper standing there... (1), but doesnt say which girl is which race. Reading the story blind as
to who was black and who was white, I used different clues from the story, critical essays and
my own knowledge to conclude that Twyla is black and Roberta is white.
As the story starts the first clue that leads me believe that Twyla is black and Roberta is
white is when the girls mothers meet for the first time. Although in the beginning of the story
Twyla is the one who doesnt believe her mother would like her rooming with Roberta, it is
Robertas mother who doesnt want to shake Twylas mothers hand. Mary was still grinning
because shes not too swift when it comes to whats really going on. Then this light bulb goes off
in her head and she says that bitch! really loud (3). This hints that Roberta is white because
white people at this time were still prejudice while blacks, although treated so poorly, were more
open to equality. It would be more likely a black woman would be willing to shake hands and a
white woman rejecting the gesture.

In Elizabeth Abels critical essay Black Writing, White Reading: Race and the Politics
of Feminist Interpretation she discusses how Twyla appreciates the food she is given at the
orphanage while Roberta has no desire for it. Twyla is chronically hungry; Roberta seems to her
replete, a daughter who has been adequately fed and thus can disdain the institutional Spam and
Jell-O that Twyla devours as a contrast to the popcorn and Yoo-Hoo that had been her customary
fare (Abel 5). Twyla is probably not use to eating like that because due to their race her parents
might not have been able to get a good job then being able to provide her with better foods.
Roberta, on the other hand, most likely came from a white family with a little more money, who
had better food then what was fed at St. Bonnies. Another comment made by Twyla was when
she noticed Roberta eating with her mom but being really picky with what she ate. Aiding this
idea Twyla says The wrong food is always with the wrong people. Maybe thats why I got into
waitress work later-to match up the right people with the right food (3). We have a habit of
taking things for granted when we are provided with all we need. Roberta, again coming from a
white family with a little more money, was most likely taking the food for granted because its
what she is use to. Twyla is looking at Roberta not eating everything shes been given as
disrespectful because she would do love to have at least one meal as good as the snack Roberta
was having.
As Morrison moves along in the story, were told of the time when Twyla and Roberta
get reacquainted for the first time after St. Bonnys. Twyla was anxious to see her old friend but
when she went over by her to say hello, Roberta wasnt very pleasant. In fact, she even called
Twyla an asshole because Twyla didnt know who Jimi Hendrix, a musician, singer and song
writer whose fan base was mostly white, was. This made me think because Roberta was in front
of her two boy friends who I am assuming were white as well due to the fact that they were also

attending to see Jimi Hendrix, she gave Twyla attitude so she wasnt judged for being friends
with someone of the other race. We do this a lot with people we feel are under us. We set
ourselves on pedestals and anyone who is different is looked at as weird or dumb, when really
theyre just different, thats exactly what is going on in the scene of the story. Roberta doesnt
want to be seen with Twyla because she is black or different so in front of her friends Roberta
acts like the superior to Twyla when in fact if those other boys werent around she probably
would have been so excited to see her childhood friend.
Everything is so easy for them. They think they own the world (5), Twyla says as
she ponders how Roberta moved up in life. In these times it was easier for someone who was
white to make it out of poverty then it was for someone who was black, like Twyla. Twyla is
probably jealous over the fact that Roberta got to a better place in her life so fast because its
hard for herself to even try to move up in life because of her race. After much small talk and talk
of their childhood Twyla asks Roberta if she was on dope when she came into Twylas work
before with her friends because Twyla felt like Roberta didnt want to be seen knowing her then.
Robertas response was exactly as I expected, Oh, Twyla, you know how it was in those days:
black-white. You know how everything was. If Roberta was black it would be highly unlikely
that she would be the one to ignore Twyla, who in that case would be white. A case of
straightforward white racism, and Twyla's surprise at the rebuff reflects her naivete about the
power of personal loyalties and social movements to undo racial hierarchies (Abel 7). This
clearly shows racism on Robertas part, and Twylas ignorance at the time on how Roberta
thought she is better because she is white.
Recitatif, the story of two girls from different races experiences with each other from
their childhood to adulthood is a confusing yet interesting short story that will surely leave you

with a million and one questions. Morrison does a phenomenal job adding different clues making
it hard to understand which girl is which race. Although difficult at time and after reading the
story and critical essays numerous times, one thing that can be made certain is that between the
two girls, Twyla is black and Roberta is white.